Chance Seven
by EmPen
Summary: AU. When Earth was no longer fit for survival, the human race fled to space. Now they need to go back to avoid extinction. Dick Grayson, a prisoner in Belle Reve, is waiting for his execution. Instead, he's launched to Earth. With five other prisoners at his side.
1. The Sixth Century

_This chapter is shorter than my usual chapters since it is the introduction to the story. The story is inspired by The 100, and I claim no ownership over The 100 nor Young Justice. _

_Chapter One: The Sixth Century_

Dick sat alone on his bed, foot tapping anxiously to nothing. The blank white walls provided no comfort, only telling him that his incarceration was permanent until he turned sixteen. Then he would be legally executed. That was three years away. Until then, he'd just be forced to hold out, hoping Bruce would find a way to rescue him.

The door opened and he jumped, startled. Two guards entered his room, threatening to push down the button that could shock him. When he didn't attack, they grabbed his arms and forced him out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

"Where are we going?" Dick asked, feeling the fear build up in his stomach. He still hadn't told them the secrets of Batman, and they'd tried physical _and _psychological torture to get it out of him.

"Extraction," one replied, looking forward.

"What?"

No response.

"What's Extraction?"

They halted in front of a metal door. One guard let go of his arm, and inserted a key card in a slot, while the other held his thumb on the electric shock button, pushing on Dick's back with his foot to force him on his knees so he didn't try to escape. The doors opened and he was dragged inside.

Inside the room was a metal chair. Dick sat down onto it peacefully, and the guards strapped him in. The room soon became silent; the only audible sound the beating of his heart.

"Dick."

Dick looked up, facing a man he'd never met before. "Who are you?"

"Dr. Jones. But you may call me John."

"John Jones?" Dick pondered this, feeling a kind of nostalgia at the name. He tried to remember where he'd heard it, but all he could bring up with the name were memories of conversations with Bruce. That decided it; Bruce knew who this man was, and had mentioned him in past conversations. But if John was allied with Bruce, why was John working against him?

_I am sorry, Robin._

Dick jolted in the chair, eyes widening at the voice in his head.

_Get out of my head._

_Please, for the sake of everyone, do not resist Extraction. _

Dick felt a sharp pain in his head. Jones was in his mind; rummaging through his memories and emotions, sorting through every thought. Memories were brought to the front of his mind, and sudden emotion with each one. This man was discovering every secret he'd ever had, every lie he'd every told, every feeling he'd ever felt . . . Dick screamed, a shrill noise in the otherwise silent room. He felt _violated_, and he just wanted it to _stop_.

It lasted ten minutes, and when Jones finally left his mind, Dick was slumped over in the chair, weak and feeble. He was helpless. Because now, everything he knew would be passed onto his captors—including his secret identity. And if Jones knew his . . . then he would know Batman's. His mouth gaped and his eyes widened in the horror of the situation: he'd given their secret identities away, and if they captured Bruce—

No. There was no way they could capture Batman. But then again, if they couldn't capture Batman, they could capture Bruce Wayne; reveal his identity to the world and bring him down from there. Just as Dick was sure they were going to do to him. It could bring down the entire Justice League. _And it would all be his fault. _

A hand raised his chin and he was forced to look at Jones in the eye, Dick's hair hanging loosely over his face. "_Dick Grayson _will be ready for launch in ten minutes. Are the other prisoners ready?"

"They are, Dr. Jones."

"Good. Take him."

Two guards took off the cuffs that attached him to the chair and forced him to stand up. "What . . . what do they . . . what do they mean by . . . what do they mean by launch?" Dick stammered, barely able to form words. He felt embarrassed and tired and guilty and overall just plain horrible and he wanted to go home. Go back home to where he could fight crime with Batman and not wait for his death.

"You're being freed from here with five of the other most heinous criminals alive," the guard responded.

Dick closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as his mind would let him. His memories were jumbled and he found the recent memory of meeting some of the criminals. It played like a movie in his mind, showing the important bits, but some parts were missing and blank. He could recognize all of them, but couldn't name them. Dick was sure he knew their names. He would try harder, but he was getting a headache, so he left his mind alone.

"Who?"

"They all refused to share their secret identities, but we were able to extract the ones we needed from you."

"So that was . . . that was Extraction?"

Neither of the guards replied, and Dick knew he'd already asked too many questions. Any more questions and he could be shocked, which he desperately didn't want to happen. He'd been hurt enough for one day.

Dick was brought in front of a single door. "Put your hands above your head," one of the guards ordered, and Dick complied, raising his arms so they had clear access to his entire body. Then they removed his incarceration: his collar. The door slid open automatically, and Dick was shoved in roughly, the sound of the door slamming and locking being the only indicator that he hadn't yet been granted complete freedom.

At the other side of the small, white room, was another metal door, and on top of it, a television screen. After a brief moment of static, the screen was brought to life. Dick stared at the man on the screen with disbelief.

Bruce Wayne.

"_The six of you have been selected to be launched to Earth. Your mission: survive."_


	2. New Friends

**Boring chapter oops.**

* * *

The only problem with having a raw mind was that he could only half-register what people would say to him. Bruce continued to talk on the TV, explaining something, but Dick couldn't hear it. When the screen went black again, a ringing was left in his ears. His ears were ringing and his head was hurting and he just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.

The door in front of him opened with a hiss, and he clutched his head, gritting his teeth. Inside the door was a single chair, and underneath it, a bow and a quiver full of arrows. He lowered his hands as the pain in his head subsided, and he took a few hesitant steps towards what appeared to be a pod in front of him. He didn't want to go in. It was scary; they could die when they impacted the Earth, or even _before_ that.

_Come on, Robin! _

The voice in his head shook his entire body. He fell to his knees, closing his arms around his chest. Not another mind reader. _Not _another mind reader. Anything but that.

_Your emotions are flipping off the charts—are you okay?_

The voice was caring; sweet, almost.

_Come into the drop ship and we can talk more on Earth. We can't leave if you're not onboard._

There was no way he was going to Earth with another mind reader.

But then a new voice entered his head.

_Get in the drop ship. Now._

Dick recognized it. It was deep, commanding, and rough. He couldn't place who, but he _recognized it_. It was enough to make him stand up, but the step into the drop ship was becoming increasingly hard the more he thought about it.

_Will you hurry up?_

That settled it; he knew who that person was.

It was enough to force him to enter the drop ship.

_"Launch commencing in ten seconds."_

Dick winced at the loud voice.

_"Launch commencing in five seconds." _

The engined roared, and the entire ship shuddered.

_"Commencing launch."_

The sudden force of the launch threw him to the side, slamming his head against the metal wall.

He was only conscious long enough to watch the space station shrink in the distance as he propelled away from his only home.

* * *

". . . wake up!"

Dick's eyes snapped open. His breathing was heavy, and simply _opening his eyes_ hurt. He didn't know what he was staring into, but it was bright.

"About time. I've been waiting here for _hours_."

He sat up, grabbing his head as he did so. It hurt, but at least he could think clearly. Being unconscious must have only given his mind time to heal, rather than break it further.

"Hey!" Dick whipped his head sideways, facing the source of the voice. She was a girl he'd never met before, the most defining feature of hers being the Green Arrow symbol on her shirt. He knew Roy had been caught, but when had Green Arrow found a replacement? Unless she wasn't a replacement at all. At the thought, Dick scurried backward, only stopping when he saw that she was sitting on the ground and her arms were tied to the tree behind her. "See? Not much of a threat if I can't move. You're Robin, right?"

Dick only nodded, not wanting to give anything about him away to someone he just met. But, due to the constant shortage of clothes, Belle Reve kept their prisoners in the outfits they were captured in. For Dick, it was his Robin costume. He had no point in lying to her about his identity.

The two of them were in a clearing. Around them were trees, most likely leading into a denser forest. The sun was shining bright, meaning that it was around midday, and that it was also blazing hot to the point that Dick wanted to rip off his shirt and cut his pants shorter.

"I'm Artemis, Green Arrow's new protégé," the girl said, snapping him back to attention. He raised an eyebrow at the claim. He'd never heard of her, and last time he checked, Green Arrow wasn't looking for a new protégé. Not since Roy had been executed.

"And you're a prisoner? That seems a little . . . unlikely."

"Last time I checked, you were down here with us too."

Dick paused, taking in what she had just said, but then chuckled before speaking again. "I guess that's true. So were those your bow and arrows in my part of the drop ship?"

"What?" Artemis demanded, sitting up straighter. "You had a bow? With arrows?"

"Yeah, and they were green, too. They yours?"

"Untie me and I'll check them out."

"How about I just bring them to you?"

"Ugh, fine then."

Dick got up, and only then did he fully comprehend where he was. He was on the _ground_. Grass was beneath his feet. The air was _real_. Everything every child that grew up on the space station wished for, and he was experiencing it. It was a giddy happiness, but he didn't let himself jump up and down because of it. Maybe he would have if Artemis hadn't been there.

He circled, only stopping when his eyes laid on the drop ship. It was ugly; different metals had been slapped on and it was obvious no one had tried to make an actual shape out of it. It just looked like a massive chunk of mismatched metal.

Since all the doors looked alike, Dick had to open each door and check every compartment until he found his own. The green bow and arrows were there, tucked beneath his chair from some sort of miracle. There were bloodstains on the right wall. Dick, his hand shaky, brought it up and touched the spot where his head had made impact. He winced.

He threw the quiver over his shoulder and grabbed the bow. With a final look inside for anything useful, Dick slammed the door shut. He didn't need anything else in there.

When Artemis saw the bow she jumped to her knees, looking rather impatient. But also excited. Dick hesitated in front of her; she could just take the bow and kill him with it, couldn't she? "Can I trust you?"

"I won't shoot you. That would kind of go against the point of being down here, wouldn't it?"

"How are you associated with Green Arrow?"

"I'm his niece."

"How come I've never heard about you before?"

"I was being trained in secret before he brought me out to show everyone."

"How and when were you captured?"

"His arrow missed when Brick jumped out-of-the-way. Hit me in the leg. You can guess what happened after that."

"So Green Arrow is the reason you got arrested?" Dick asked, kneeling down and untying the knots.

"Yeah," Artemis said, rubbing her wrists as she stood up, "he is."

Dick handed her the bow, but hesitated with the arrows. She'd promised she wouldn't shoot him. What if she _did_?

Dick took a single arrow out of the quiver and gave it to her. She frowned at him. "What are you doing?"

"I believe you about Green Arrow. But if you're really planning to shoot me, do it now."

Artemis stared at him. She loaded the arrow in her bow, not keeping her eye off him as she did. The arrow stayed pointed at the ground. "I'm not going to shoot you. Did you find anything else in the drop ship?"

Dick felt his shoulders relax. "Nothing but your bow and arrows, why?"

"Damn it. The others took everything."

"The others?" Dick asked. "Did you see where they went?"

"They ran further in the woods behind me," Artemis replied, gesturing to the large patch of trees behind her. "I guess we're just lucky we landed in a clearing."

Dick nodded, and then handed her the quiver full of arrows. "Want to go find them, or stay here?"

Artemis smirked. "I say we go find them."

* * *

Touching a tree for the first time was sensational. Same with the rocks, and the bushes, and the water. Him and Artemis pointed out random things to each other, becoming more and more relaxed around each other as they went. Dick was just glad to have an ally on the ground.

When they saw their first deer, Dick was excited—Artemis shot it with an arrow. "Food" was all she had said as explanation. When they found a river, Dick tried to jump in it—Artemis stopped him. "You'll ruin your boots" was all she said. When they found a clover path, Dick began picking them—Artemis stood guard. "You never know" was her response when he asked why she wasn't picking them, too.

When they entered a clearing and found Wally impaled to a tree with a spear, Dick screamed—Artemis covered his mouth and pulled him away.

"_There's nothing we can do_."

* * *

Dick beat Artemis back to the drop ship. He didn't know who had done it, but he was _angry_. They left him out in the sun for who knows how long. They tied up Artemis to a tree and left her there. _They_ _speared Wally—his best friend—to a tree._

He waited for Artemis to catch up before he entered the clearing. If they had to fight, having her around would be a good idea. She'd been trained by Green Arrow; she could probably shoot. Dick didn't even have his utility belt. Fighting would be a mistake.

"Robin, are you okay?" Artemis whispered, crouching down beside him. He'd been hiding behind a bush, watching the clearing for any movement. So far, the only thing there he'd seen was some transparent figure; like a ghost. Camouflaging abilities, probably. Like Martian Manhunter. That would explain the telepathic communication before the drop ship launched—there was a Martian among them.

"I'm fine," he said, but his voice was gruff. Next to him, Artemis shrugged, drawing her bow. He hadn't pegged her as the sympathetic type anyway.

She looked at him and he nodded, holding up three fingers.

Three.

Two.

One.

_WAIT!_

Dick grabbed his head at the intense voice, whimpering as his mind began to crumble once again. Artemis put her hand on his shoulder and stood up, pointing her arrow at something he couldn't see.

"_Who __are you_?" Artemis demanded, shouting. Dick turned his attention to where Artemis was shouting, and saw the source of the voice appear in midair. He was right; a Martian was among them. Her green skin contrasted against her red hair, and she had freckles which he thought would have been impossible, but one thing really stood out: the red 'X' on her shirt. The symbol of Martian Manhunter. Another sidekick?_  
_

"Wait!" Dick exclaimed, wincing right after speaking. At least it wasn't as bad as before. "Artemis, don't shoot. I think she might be one of us."

"Robin, she has _green skin_. I don't think she's one of us."

The Martian giggled, floating down to the ground. A smile was plastered on her face, and she looked nothing but friendly.

"Hi!" she began, drawn back as though she was shy, "I'm Miss Martian, Martian Manhunter's niece. But you can call me M'gann."

"Has Martian Manhunter ever told you not to use telepathy on people who aren't expecting it?" Dick asked, scowling.

"No, he hasn't, but I just got lectured on it not too long ago. We've all been waiting for you, so follow me!"

Dick and Artemis exchanged a glance but Dick shrugged. She hadn't killed Wally. If anything, she was taking them right to the killer. Then they could strike.

M'gann flew ahead of them confidently, bringing them through a door and into the drop ship. Someone had stripped down the barriers, making the drop ship act like a one pod. But that wasn't the surprising part.

It was Roy and Kaldur—standing up from their seats, looking concerned, as though neither of them had just _murdered their past ally and friend_.

"Look, Robin, I am sure you—" Kaldur began, but Roy cut him off.

"We don't have time for this. He wasn't speared by us."

"Then _who was it_?"

"A grounder."

"You mean there are—"

"Yes, there are people on Earth. We're not alone, Robin, and neither of us killed Wally," Roy said, and then added, "he isn't even dead."

"He isn't?" Dick asked, feeling relief flood over him like a tidal wave. He visibly relaxed, slouching a little as a small smile formed on his face.

"No. We came back here to get you but only to find that _you _had released the phony and _left camp _with her."

Dick looked over his shoulder at Artemis, but she didn't look offended. In fact, she looked more enraged than anything.

"Hey, Robin," Roy called, and Dick turned his head to face Roy again. He'd always been a little . . . stern. "Stop staring at your new girlfriend and pay attention. We have more important things to discuss."

"Like what?" Dick folded his arms against his chest. Roy was one of his best friends, but he could be worse than Batman sometimes. It was a little aggravating.

"Like how we're supposed to bring Wally back from the dead."

"Speaking of which," Artemis leered, shoving Dick out-of-the-way and putting her face right in Roy's, "how did you manage to do that, exactly?"

Dick's eyes widened at the question.

Roy Harper had been proclaimed dead two years ago.


End file.
